Embers
by Jadeah
Summary: Much older now, Ezio has left the creed and started a family. Now his only worries are if he made the right choices in life.  Story based on the actual short movie Assassins Creed: Ember. I didn't come up with this. Look it up.
1. Prologue

_"When I was a young man, I had liberty, but I did not see it. I had time, but I did not know it. And I had love, but I did not feel it. I can not seem to leave my past behind me. And I know at any moment, someone could come for me. Or my family. I knew I would not have enough time to do everything. Now I worry I do not have time to do anything."_

Sighing, he closed the leather bound book and replace the white feather quil in the jar of ink. His life playing back through his mind. But he could not erase the pain he had suffered. The anger he felt. Or the sorrow he was plagued with. The sting of everything he had lost because of his actions never lessened. And now here he was, regreting it all with spite.

"Would you be proud of me, father?" He asked to no one. He had left the creed, not long after he had discovered the secrets of his ancestor. He had never forgot of what had become of this. He was forced to hide away, and pray that no one would ever find him again. He gave up his friends so he could spend the last of his time on this world in peace. He gave up what had formed most of his life. And here he was, just wishing he could start it all over.

A knock on the door snapped him from his thoughts. He immidiantly looked up as a young woman with auburn hair and eyes like emeralds entered the room. He smiled softly to her.

"Can't sleep?" She asked as he came towards him, and placed her hand gently over his. Her expression seemed of care and exhaustion. A look that she seemed to pull off still looking like she was a dream. It didn't seem to bother him at all.

"It's nothing, _amore_." He assured calmly as he put away the leather book. "Are Flavia and Marcello in bed yet?" It was getting too late for the two be up.

"Yes, they are." She answered. Then she sighed. "Ezio?"

"Hm?" He was looking out the window, the dark of night making the grass almost blue and silvery stars shimmered on a moonless night.

The woman came up next to him. "Are you planning on telling them?"

Meeting her eye to eye, he answered. "No, I do not. They should not have to deal with all that I've had to live with."

"So we never mention it? But what if they ask?"

"Then I'll tell them that I had been doing what I should have. Banking..." Although he felt like a stone had dropped in his stomach upon his last word, he knew it was for his childrens' own good. What he had lived through didn't matter anymore.

"Then what about that scar?" She chuckled as she traced an index over the cavernous line which split his beard and cut through the corner of his lips.

"Then I tell them I was in a fight a long time ago." Ezio answered. "I wouldn't be lying." And he still remembered the bastard who gave it to him via rock thrown to the face.

She smiled. He loved it when she did, as she could light up a room just by grinning. And with just softness that one would never expect from someone like him, he kissed her.

When he pulled back, he carefully brushed her cheek with the palm of his hand. "I promise, it will be better without them having to know. And my only thing left is to make sure you, and our children are safe. No matter what."

"So you won't train them in sword fighting?" She questioned.

"Never."

"And you aren't telling them about the Brotherhood you once belonged to?"

"As long as it is what will protect them."

They kissed again and then she walked to the door. Then turned. "Maybe you should go and rest, I'll be with you shortly."

He nodded in agreement, then walked to the door and into the hallway. His footsteps naturally light and almost soundless as he came down to another room where he creaked open the door to look inside. There lay in seperate beds a small boy and girl. That heavy stone of guilt only grew to a boulder. What if there was no way for him to protect the ones he loved. What if they ended up like his father and brothers. Hung. Killed. Murdered. Or what if they ended up like him. An outsider. Traitor. Probably nearing his own demise.

As he shut the door, he looked up, and found himself blinking several times in either shock or disbelief. There in front of him stood his father! His arms crossed and look disapproving. In a split moment, he was gone. But the message was plainly clear and obvious. He wasn't proud of him turning around and running away from the Creed for his own reasons. He didn't think he was doing any good.

"Father?"

His lost gaze switched nad he looked down, there stood his daughter. A dirty blonde fair skinned child. Tiny and helpless. He kneeled down in front of her, and asked in the most gentle of voices, "Why are you up, Flavia?"

She was rubbing sleep out of her eyes, a little doll loosely held in her other hand. "I heard what you and mother said." The petite blonde looked down guiltily. Knowing that it was wrong for her to of spyed.

"Why did you eavedrop?" He questioned calmly.

"I- I'm sorry. I just wanted to know why you and mother are always talking so quietly and sending me and Marcello to bed early. I don't understand."

Ezio couldn't say she blamed her. Then he mentally cursed. She was BORN with his curiousity. And she was BORN with his instincts. She worried him with this because that was how he turned into what he had. He only put a hand on her shoulder. "How much did you hear?"

"I heard a lot..." She answered, still guilty.

He sighed. "When you're older. Maybe I'll explain this to you, and Marcello. But you're young. You don't need to worry about these things. Understand, _bambina_."

"I do, but why must you hide things?" She pressed. Born with her Aunt's stubbornness as well.

"Trust me. It's for your own good." He kissed her forehead and picked her up before reentering her and Marcello's shared bedroom. "Now I think you should go to sleep. It's late."

"But I'm not tired." She yawned.

Ezio smirked. Then he got an idea. "Do you know what happened when children didn't go to bed when they're suppost to?"

"What?" She asked, already pulling the blanket up.

He then assulted her tickish ribs, the one spot he knew that always made her laugh until she was out of breath. Of course it worked. "They're old man comes and gets them!"

"Mercy! Mercy!" She laughed, squirming to get away from his fingers. When he finally stopped, she was smiling and giggling.

"Good night, sweetheart." He then stood up and kissed her forehead before pulling the covers up over her.

"Good night, father." She replied, then she tucked into the blankets. He casted one last glance over his shoulder before leaving her and her brother.


	2. Night Time Visits

_"No! No!"_

_"It's too late to save them now."_

_"Bastardi! I'll kill you!"_

_"And it's too late for you, old man."_

_"Run Ezio! Run!"_

_"Ahhhhhhh!"_

He sat up with a jolt in the dark bedroom, a sheen of sweat matted down his gray hair as he rubbed his face into his sleeve. Beside him, his wife was fast asleep, her light breathing seemed strangely calming to him as he tried to forget the nightmare. But it was a little too vivid to forget so easily.

_Ka-clunk._

He knitted his eyebrows at a sound from downstairs. He knew his children were in bed, so the source of the mysterious sound was unknown to him. But he wouldn't take chances. He took his cane and silently walked down the stairs. And peered into the main room. The only light was the moonlight casted through the window, and the dull ambers in the fireplace. But nothing seemed out of place here.

Then he saw something shift in the shadows! Gripping his cane tigher, he crept forward, not wanting to wake his family upstairs. Not wanting his young children see what he might have to do. As he was growing closer to the source of the noise, the shadows moved again. Whoever was lerking around his house wasn't very bright.

Then the sound of a blade being unshealthed. He reacted in an instant, he whipped his cane, making a blade extend from the end. The sound of metal striking his cane made a matalic sheeth sound. He knew where the attacker was. He didn't even ned to ajust to the dark, he simply blinded, allowing his gift to show him the red figure in front of him. Though it shocked him that the man was that close, he was quick to bash the end of his cane at the person.

But he wasn't like he was when he was younger.

It took simply kicking a foot out form under him and shoving him backwards to make him fall on the floor with a thump. But he still defended himself, whipping the cane back in order to block a dagger to the neck. He then launched up and gripped the person by the throat.

"Who are you?" He growled.

The person didn't answer.

"You better answer or I won't hesitate to break both of your legs." And he was in position to do so.

"Traitor!" The person spat. "You left the Order!"

He tightened his grip. "If you knew why, then you'd understand. Now who are you? And who sent you?"

"I was suppost to kill you, _stronzo_!"

"Then who sent you?" He questioned.

"The- The Order! They wanted you dead!"

"You're an Assassin." He finished. Slight disgust seemed to trickle in. Even he didn't assualt (besides Rodrigo) a man his age.

"And you're a traitor!" The man glared.

He didn't make any more debate with himself on what he should do with this man. He brought him to the window and opened it with one hand. "Send the Brotherhood a message. Tell them that they shouldn't try killing a brother."

"But you're a traitor!"

"But I've always stood by the Assassin ways. And I would have been a traitor if I gave the Templars information." Ezio pointed out. "Go and tell them to save themselves the trouble." With those words, he threw the man out the window. It wasn't enough of a fall to kill him, maybe some injury, but not kill. The man landed on his shoulder and he scrambled away.

No blood spilled. Maybe he wouldn't be so lucky next time. But no one would ask questions about tonight. He wouldn't have to give up anything.  
>Or so he thought.<p>

After he closed the window, he then was about to walk up the stairs, when he walked into Flavia! He panicked for all of five seconds, then he asked as she looked up.

"Why is it that I always find you up so late, my child?"

She had innocent eyes. "I only wanted to get a glass of water." She explained it so simply. Or maybe it was an excuse and she had seen him fight.

"Go back to bed, I'll bring you some." He told her as he started to lead her back. It wouldn't matter, he wouldn't be able to sleep the rest of tonight anyways. He went back through the main room, down a hall and into a kitchen where he got some water and returned to his daughter's bedroom.

"Father?"

"Yes?"

"Would you tell us if you were important?"

She did see! He knew it! He had to think quick! "Of course I would, sweetheart. Now go to sleep."

"But-?"

"Just sleep." He told her again as he pulled the blankets back up over her and got up to leave. He smirked as he silently thanked his father for telling him a long time ago a secret herb that he could mix into her water. Of course, it worked and made her drowsy. Not that he liked having to do this, but it was so they wouldn't know. Even still, were the precaustions worth it?

He returned to his bedroom and got under the covers and laid awake for the rest of the night.


	3. Early Mornings and Chess

The rest of his night, as he guessed, was restless and full of his worrying. If they already knew where he lived, them there might be less time than he first thought. He needed to stall them. Or simply rejoin the Assassins entirely. Did he ever want to? No. Not at all. He left so he could have a life of his own, no matter how little of that he'd have. He wanted to save his children from the same fate, so he never planned on telling them anything. He had a hard time explaining to his dear Sofia about who he was. It took almost getting killed for him to realize that he'd better tell her soon before he'd loose the chance entirely.

As early morning light of a pastel sunrise streaked into the room from the window, he was beginning to hear the sounds of small voices and the patter of bare feet acroos the floor in the hallway. Before he knew it, his son had climbed up on top of him and his daughter had rolled into the space between him and his wife!

The sudden movement woke Sofia and she craned her head up form the blankets to look up dazily at the two children who had caused it. Then she laughed, showing her wonderful smile as she rolled onto her back. "When did you two get in here?"

Marcello now was sitting laying right next to him, "It was Flavia's idea!"

His sister, who found herself comfortable drapped over her mother, glared, then giggled. "So? You wanted to!"

He chuckled as the two siblings continued to bicker about who started the idea, then he sat up in the bed. "Maybe I should get up so your mother can get some sleep."

Sofia glanced at him, as if she knew about his little fight last night. But she nodded. "Take them with you, I'm sure the bed will break if they keep jumping."

So he pulled out from under the covers and stood up, Marcello and Flavia followed. He didn't react to the cool surface of the floor, unlike his son who curled his toes in, and he walked downstairs and into the main room. Everything seemed in place, since he made sure that nothing was broken or anything. So Marcello didn't seem to look like he noticed anyting wrong.

Flavia was harder to convince. She looked from Ezio to the window and then at the small stretch of hallway that led to the kitchen when he had fought the intruder. "Father?"

"Hmm?" He put on his usual I-didn't-do-anything-so-don't-assume-that-I-did look and kept walking to the kitchen.

"Who was that man you were with last night?" She asked.

He inwardly cursed. She did remember! He thought fast. "What man? I was sleep last night."

"No, I saw you in here fighting someone!" She claimed.

Now he turned and got down to her level. "Flavia, I promise you, I was asleep last night-" Well it was a half lie. "-and I wasn't fighting anyone. Are you sure what you saw wasn't just your imagination?"

"But I-!" She was about to finish when he shook his head.

"I used to think I saw my father fight mysterious figures in the night as well, darling. But what I saw were dreams. They never happened." He added. "Maybe you are experiencing the same thing." His voice was calm and even, though he still felt sick inside for making all of this up to her.

"I- I guess you might be right. But what about you taking me upstairs and bringing me a glass of water?" She pointed out. "I still have the glass."

He sighed. "You were kicking around and I came in. You told me you were having a nightmare and I brought you some water."

She nodded, seeming to buy his words. It was even more lucky for him that Marcello could probably sleep through an explosion undisturbed. So he was clueless and didn't seem to get envolved with this matter.

He then stood up and started towards the kitchen again. But he decided to lighten the mood. "Besides, do you think an old man like me would be able to fight anyone?"

She laughed. "No, I guess not." But she also didn't know of the lean muscle hidden under his clothes.

As he continued to walk to the kitchen, he made a mental note to keep himself consistant with the story, that way if this were to ever happen again he could say this and not raise too much suspition because he was switching stories. He made that mistake before and that's how Sofia got suspitious before he told the truth about who he was.

When they reached the kitchen, he and his children sat at the table. It was a long few moments before his son asked, "Can we play a game?"

Ezio nodded, deciding it was better than nothing while they waited for Sofia. "Any ideas?"

"Chess? I'm not sure."

That was good enough for him. "Alright. But I'll have you know that I've played chess since I was four."

With that, he returned to the main room and took a seat by the chess board while Marcello scrambled into the other. Flavia sat on the couch and watched. All Ezio was sure of was that this would be one quick game.

**Thank you everyone who has reviewed so far! I thought that no one liked the story at first because no one was reviewing it, and then I saw the Traffic stats and I kept writing. So here's another chapter.**


	4. Knights Jump

"That's not a move!"

Ezio smiled as his son was staring at the knight he had moved. In the process he jumped over a pawn. "Yes it is a valid move."

"But I thought you weren't suppost to jump over other pieces!"

"Knights can." He claimed.

"You never told me that!"

"Well you never asked."

As the two continued to bicker, he didn't see Sofia step down the stairs into the main room. She looked over Marcello's shoulder at the chess board, able to the about half of the black pieces off the side of the game board and only a couple white pieces on the opposite corner. Guess who had which color.

"How's the chess lesson going?"

"It's hardly a lesson." Ezio chuckled. "Marcello, you keep making the same mistakes."

"I do not."

"Yes you do."

"Do not." The boy responded.

"Do too."

"Do not!"

That was when Sofia interviened. "Does this truely matter? It's only a game."

Ezio laughed.

"What?" She obviously didn't understand why he'd be laughing. Was it the face she was making? She strained now to make it serious as possible.

"There have been many matters solved in just a game of chess. Very important matters." He was still smiling as he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

With that, she visibly relaxed. "I don't think desiding on who who makes breakfast on Sunday counts as an 'important' matter."

"But countries have been lost or won, wars ended, and prisoners freed or captured all from a simple game." Ezio pointed out with his ever present smirk. He knew he had a point. "And you don't think it is an important matter because you lost that game."

The woman rolled her eyes and playfully hit his shoulder before leaving for the kitchen. by now, the sun was rising and streaks of orange light came casting into the main room. The flame tinged glow struck his pale skin, giving him the appear that he had his old tan complextion. That same light made his carmel eyes look like warm tawny orbs as he stood up and followed after Sofia.

Marcello and Flavia were soon to follow, but they walked in on a little tender moment in the kitchen. To which, Marcello scooted out and Flavia looked away. It was weird when you see your parents kissing. It was. They were little kids, and they didn't know any better. They still believed in cooties and such. At least they weren't the kind of parents to argue. No. Ezio was better than that. He knew that she was the only woman he'd be able to actually be with, actually have a chance. He wouldn't fight with her, he was much better than most husbands because of his knowing that he wouldn't get another girl. He could only hold onto her as long as he could.

"Ew!" Flavia exclaimed first.

Ezio looked back, a hand still resting on Sofia's hip and the other arm wrapped aorund her. It was awkward of a position. He was craning his neck just to look at her when he could just let go and turn. He finally did, then chuckled. "If I ever see any boy hold you like that, then I'll show them a thing or two."

She didn't get it. Of course, she was an eight year old girl, he didn't expect she would.


	5. Changes

It was not long after breakfast that Sofia was about to leave for the market. She was going to take Flavia with her, so the little girl ran upstairs to get dressed. This would mean that Ezio had to take care of Marcello. Not that he wasn't looking forward to it, the boy was naturally born with a sense of humor and quick wits. He could be good company on most days, and there wasn't an end to the countless questions he'd ask. Questions. He didn't mind them at all, he had nothing against them. He had put up with the-man-of-many-questions-da-Vinci after all. So this wasn't bad.  
>And because Flavia would be with her mother, he wouldn't have to lie to her for a while about the fight last night. Unless she came up with a million questions to assualt him with when she got home, he was in the clear.<p>

"So what do you want to do until your mother comes home?" He asked.

Marcello shrugged. "I don't know."

Ezio could only sigh as he tried to think of something they could do. "We could always-."

"EZIO!"

He hadn't time to finish his sentence as he heard his one trustworthy friend's voice. He turned and came straight for the window to see his friend standing outside panting. "_Si_, what is wrong?"

His friend gasped for air a little bit longer, graying black hair hanging over his eyes. "It- it is your wife and daughter! They found them!"

That made his blood run cold, he knew what was bound to happen. They would possibly be tortured, maybe... He knew the Brotherhood better, but then again, their leader is different than him. His sick and twisted ways of thinking were partly one reason he left.

You're probably wondering how he got to the head of the order while Ezio was still there. Well it was simple. He took Ezio and assualted him, and also threatened to tell the order about his close friendship with Sofia. Relationships were very strongly disaproved, they meant a distraction to those with one. Ezio was forced to stand down and give the man his spot as leader. He knew he should have killed him. But he was with the assassins, it would raise questions, and he at the time was unwilling to answer the likely ones. When this moster took charge, everything changed. He was a lot more difficult on everyone. Ezio drew the line and left when he ordered him to kill an innocent child. When he left, he was labeled a traitor that must be disposed of. He convinced everyone that he was the antagonist, and that he should die.

There wasn't time to waste, he took his cane and opened a hidden room under the floor boards. "Stay in here! Do not tell anyone where you are, and stay hidden. If anyone breaks in, do not make a sound. _Capito_?"

Marcello nodded nervously. "Father? What's happening?"

"I will explain later, son. Please, just stay in here." He then closed the floorboards and ran downstairs to the front door. He ran out and questioned hastily, "Where are they?"

His friend looked up with wide near black eyes as his mouth opened in a silent scream! He then went limp and landed heavily on Ezio, cold and dead. An arrow was lodged in his neck, and Ezio scanned the rooftops for the shooter. But no one.

Then he looked to his pouch on his side and opened it, inside lay a heap a leather and metal. But he knew what it was. He pulled it out, it was old. Very old. He hadn't used it for years, and now he would need to. He strapped on the hidden blade to his wrist and consealed it under his sleeve before taking a running start and climbing up the wall.

He could feel his age catching up to him as he felt his back ache in the motion as he pulled up and onto the rooftops and ran. He had to find his daughter and wife, before it was too late.


	6. One choice

He didn't stop for anything, and people yelled as he pushed them out of the way. Maybe if they knew he was running to save his wife and daughter, they wouldn't be insulting him. Saying he was drunk. Some things just never change. One thing never would, his gift revealed the way, a gold path which he followed.

Then he stooded as he reverted to his normal vision to see a man in white robes with hidden blades extended right in front of Sofia and Flavia's necks! He was keeping them back. But Flavia was crying, scared and hurt. As soon as she saw Ezio run into the alley, the pain only grew in her eyes.

"Papa! No!" She screamed before being punched in the jaw. Ezio was having none of if. Give him the abuse, at least he put up with it. But once you mess with his loved ones, he was angry. He whipped his crane up, the blade drawing out from the bottom as he held it out. But the assassin tightened his hold on Sofia. Flavia was too petrified to get up.

"Bastardo! Let them go!" Ezio demanded, stepping closer.

The man rattled Sofia in his grip. "Stay back, I won't hesitate to slit her throat!"

"I can not believe that the order would stoop so low." Ezio hissed. "Is this really how blood thirsty your maestro is?"

"Shut up!" The man snapped, pressing the blade to Sofia's neck, just enough to draw a little blood. "He got things done! Unlike you!"

"I did not come here to argue, release my wife and child now. For your own sake." There was a hint of a challange.

"Father what are you-?"

The assassin laughed. "Let me try to get this! You, the once great Head of the Assassins, never told your own children about most of your life? This is just-!" He laughed a little harder before looking breifly to Flavia. "Did he ever tell you about most of his life spent murdering people? That he was always wanted?"

Flavia just sat the wide eyed then stammered, "He was a banker!"

The assassin laughed even harder. "His father was the banker! And not even he was completely just that! He was one of us, he was a brother! Your father as well! He never was banker!"

Fuming, he didn't hesitate any longer. He smashed the assassin across the shoulder, enough to make him fall flat on his side as he tried to scramble away, but Ezio pinned him down with a foot on his chest and held the tip of his blade to the man's neck. He was pissed, and nobody, not even that thick-headed man would be stupid enough to mess with him.

"You will regret what you said." He growled darkly, dragging the edge of his blade across the man's jaw, until he found his throat.

"Go ahead, kill me now!" The assassin cackled. "Prove me right! And show you're little girl who you really are." He met his glare willingly. "I know you want to."

He looked back over his shoulder, Flavia was watching this entire scene unfold with horror strikening her features. She was waiting to see what Ezio would really do. Sofia was trembling, holding her neck as she was whispering something to herself.

Ezio moved his blade back, and brought back his blade to his cane. It shocked the assassin when he did this.

"What a pity. I'd think that now that your little girl knows the truth, that you wouldn't care if she saw you kill someone." The assassin spat. "Worthless. It's no wonder you stood down from your position. You clearly are too much a whimp to kill anyone."

Ezio looked away, and met Flavia eye to eye. Then he sighed as he gazed down. "I am sorry, my darling." Then he turned and stabbed the man in the base of the neck.

"Ezio. Ezio? Where are you going?" Sofia asked.

Ezio turned to face her. "Take Flavia home, I had Marcello hide in the secret compartment under the floor boards. I will be home soon."

"Where are you going?" Sofia asked again.

"Just go. Before more come." Ezio told her in a near whisper. "I will be back. I promise." Then he walked out of the alleyway.


	7. The End

Marcello just sat, hugging his knees for what seemed like hours until he heard voices, to his releif they were of his mother and sister.

"Why did father not tell us?"

"He wanted to protect you, and unfortunately you have to see what you did. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what? You did nothing, mama."

"I'm sorry I could not of provented this. And Flavia-" Her voice broke a little before it hardened again. "Please. Don't let Marcello know."

"Why can I not tell him?"

"Just because, Flavia. Please do not speak a word of what had happened to him. What that man told you."

"Is father coming back?"

"I- I don't know..."

That was when the compartment door was opened, Marcello was about to cry. He felt guilty for hearing something he clearly was not suppost to of heard. "What happened?"

His mother pulled him from the compartment and closed it before saying, "You're father is going away for a little while. But he'll be back soon. Alright?"

"Why?"

"He has some unfinished business to attend to." His mother answered. Marcello looked to Flavia, his sister had been crying because now her cheeks were puffy and eyes reddened.

"I'm sorry mama. I heard what you told Flavia..." He murmered.

His mother sighed, wiping her eyes in her sleeve. "There is nothing to be sorry for. Just go upstairs and get some rest. Alright?"

"Yes mama." Marcello walked upstairs with Flavia. But neither went to bed, they sat by the window, looking outside as if they could see their father. Flavia had started crying again.

* * *

><p>Face set in a scowl, he looked down from his vantage point on the rooftops. There. He could see the hideout for the Florentine assassins. Now was his chance. He clenched his hand into a fist, before felt a surge of memories from the old days come to him. He still remembered his friends, the men he killed, the people he knew. But he was ready to finished this fight once and for all.<p>

He jumped down into a near by haybale, biting back a grunt of soreness before he jumped out and climbed up the wall. He came to the window that he knew was the leader's personal quarters, now was his chance. The man was writing at his desk, utterly clueless that his time was drawing short. He carefully pushed the window open and slipped inside, staying to the shadows. His hand clenched, his hidden blade drawing out of it's shealth. He stepped towards his target, silent as the wind.

"I should have figured you would want revenge, traitor." The man spoke from where he sat, not even looking up at him. "Go ahead, old man. Strike me down now. I know you were waiting a long time for it, so just get it done with."

How he knew Ezio was there was beyond him, but he didn't need to be told twice. He lept forward.

But that was just what that man wanted! He whipped around with hidden blade drawn and smacked Ezio away, the older stumbled before he caught himself on the wall and turned glaring daggers at him. The man chuckled, "Tell me, old man, how's it feel to be a traitor? How's it feel to go against your brothers, everything you learned, and those you hold dear?" He smirked. "Must be pretty awful, have the order you once thrived on hate you."

He came at him again, running around and charging at him. But the younger antisipated his motion and easily kicked him in the stomach. Ezio held his abdimine with clenched teeth as he tried to ward off the pain.

"You still think you're able to stop me, don't you." The man added. "You underestimate my training. But you should have expected to be bested by your own student."

Once again, Ezio charged, but he disbalanced him and Ezio fell forward. Landing hard on the floor. He sat there, glaring at him in silent animosity.

"Face it, Auditore. You know that you cannot beat me, I am younger, I can see your every move." The man taunted. "Maybe you should admit defeat."

Now, Ezio spoke, "You still have not learned everything I could have taught you." He aimed at him with his pistol (because he still owned that hidden blade with all the stuff Leonardo put in it). But he didn't get a chance to fire, the man threw a book ad it knocked Ezio's arm away, he fired and it struck the wall.

"Ha, you missed."

"I expected someone as impossive as you to do that."

"But you missed."

"So you think."

"What are you-?"

CRACK!

"WHAT THE-?"

Ezio had shot a rope, and guess what that rope held up? The chandelier right above the man's head. It fell from where it hung and crushed him. Ezio got up and stabbed his neck for good meausre before looking back at teh door and locking it. Then he jumped out of the window, ready to escape.

He didn't get the chance.

He didn't realize that other assassins in the hideout at the time had heard and got ready to take Ezio down. As Ezio jumped from the window to make his escape, one of the recruits took a crossbow and fired. Striking Ezio in the back! The old man fell from the roof to the streets below. And two recruits looked down at the body.

"Such a waste. He was once a good man." One said lowly.

"But He was still a traitor in the end. What do we do with him?" The other asked.

"We'll be respectful and burn his body."

"And his family?"

"Leave them alone. Our fight was with him, not his wife or children."

"I understand. But who will take over?"

"The Order is not the same as it once was. We must find some who can restore it to it's former glory, as Ezio Auditore had."

"If only he had not stood down. Why did we have to kill him, maybe he would have excepted a position at the head of the Assassins once more."

"No, he won't have. His life changed when our leader took power, he had a family who needed him. And a family who still needs him." He looked up at the night sky in regrete. "Maybe in his death, we have doomed his family."

"Do we tell them?"

"Yes. We will. Let his wife know what happened. She will most likely tell her children."

"And what about his children, if they know then-."

"Then there might be a chance that his legacy in the Order might still be alive through one on them. Go. I'll will prepare a fire."

The younger assassin ran down the street while the other stood staring down at the body still. He shook his head. "We still needed you, _mio maestro_."


	8. A little authors note

**Hey thanks for reading Embers, I hope you guys liked it, and don't hate me for the ending. I felt like what had happened made the most sense to me. And I'm not the first one to kill a canon character, if you look hard enough, you'll find people killing others like Malik and Altair. (Even though Malik was killed in his sleep and had his head cut off and all that lovely stuff.)**

**So yeah, thanks and be sure to read some of my other stories out there! I have a couple sneak peaks of fanfics that might be coming up, let me know which you guys are most interested in!**

Just grin and bare it

"Ezio, what's wrong?"

"What? Nothing. I am fine."

"Please, amico mio, what's wrong?"

"I told you, I am find, Leonardo." He stood up from the bench and walked away, but it turned into a run. He didn't know why he was running, he just need to get far away, and he didn't care how he got there, just as long as it was soon. Soon he was standing perched on the top of the Rosa in Fiore, he needed to speak with someone.

He climbed down and walked inside, forcing a straight face as he walked straight to his mother. She looked up and smiled. "Ezio, what brings you here?"

"_Salve_, mother." He greeted as calmly as he could.

Her smile dropped, she could see right past his fake smile. "What's wrong?"

"I-... it's... just..." He shook his head as he choked on his words. He couldn't even begin to say it.

Still, he felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder, "I know, son. Come upstairs, we can talk about it there."

"But what about Claudia?" Ezio asked, looking to his sister who was speaking with one of her girls.

"I've already spoke with her, it will be alright. Come with me, _va bene_?" His mother told him calmly.

He nodded. "Gazie." Then he followed upstairs.

Tales of Brothers

Fredrico laughed.

Ezio pouted as he stared at his brother from the streets, Fredrico had climbed up onto a ledge without any trouble. Meanwhile the younger child still couldn't figure out how to get a grip.

"It's easy, just dig into any handholds you find." Fredrico told him from where he sat on the ledge.

With this, the younger, took a few steps back and started trying to climb up, but lost his grip and fell back down, landing on his bottom and exclaiming, "I can't hold onto the bricks!"

"Spit on your hands or something." Fredrico advised.

Ezio tried this, surprisingly, it helped a little. He made it a little higher before he lost his grip and fell back down on the cobblestone. "See?"

Fredrico laughed again. "Soon, little brother. Soon you'll learn."


End file.
